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Episode 21 - Lady Bass Players of the World Unite

So, I'm playing bass in this band and yesterday the guitarist is all like, "Hey Man, will you teach my 12 year old niece how to play bass?" And I was all like "You know I don't know how to play or anything about music theory or music at all, right?" And he was all like, "How does $20 dollars an hour sound?" And I was all like "When do we start?". So now I am all kicking it in the middle of the worst sleep depravation spell of my life, kind of going crazy and I am expected to teach some 12 year old girl how to play the most metal, heavy, awesome and amazing instrument ever. Great. So what is the first lesson? 25 songs from 25 bands that have 25 different ladies playing the boom stick.

I love playing bass. I love the bass. It's my favorite instrument in rock music when it's played right. It can simultaneously be the foundation and the flavoring of a song. Good, consistent, solid bass playing can make a good song great. It can make a powerful song sick as shit.It's all about the bass. Honestly, it's no wonder to me that so many women in rock music play bass. Sure, society and guitarists think it's a second rate instrument. But society is fucked and guitarists have complexes about masculinity. There is no ego in playing the bass. You are constantly in the background. And yet, as these songs, bands and women attest, the Bass is totally awesome. From Kim Deal to Kira Rosler and Johanna Claussen to Basla Andulson, this collection runs the gambit of the Godmothers of Bass, to my friends, and some of my bass playing idols. Bridgett Cross, Kathi Wilcox, Laura Balance and of course Kim Gordon are such a large part of why I love the bass. Hopefully, I don't screw up when teaching this kid bass playing fundamentals and the little I know about music and she continues this awesome tradition. Enjoy this one kids, I'm super psyched about it.

Cannonball - The Breeders from Last Splash
Gigantic - The Pixies from Surfa Rosa
Elephants - Warpaint from Exquisite Corpse
Richmond - Del Cielo - Us Vs Them
June - Unrest from Imperial Ffrr
Rich Girls Like to Steal - The Delta 72 - from The R&B of Membership
Sugar Kane - Sonic Youth - from Dirty
Novel Figure - Good Luck from Demonstration Tape
Blue - The Most Secret Method - from the Blue/Perfect Plan 7"
My Gap Feels Weird - Superchunk from Majesty Shredding
Savory - Jawbox - from For Your Own Special Sweetheart
Coasts - Ambulars - Sumeer of Ambulars
Kitchen - The Lemonheads - It's a Shame About Ray
The Council - Team Dresch - from Captain My Captain
Hyperactive - The Donnas - from Get Skintight
Sustance Abuse - The Make Up - from I Want Some
As We Play The Tape Tricks Us - The And/Ors - from Will Self Destruct
The Staples - Bridge and Tunnel - from Indoor Voices
How Do You Like That - The Sovietts - from III
Rah! Rah! Replica - Bikini Kill - from The Singles
Out of this World - Black Flag - from In My Head
Soda Pop-Rip Off - Slant 6 - from Soda Pop-Rip Off
Cathy Catharine - The World/Inferno Friendship Society - From Addicted to Bad Ideas
K Street - The Fastbacks from ...and His Orchestra
I Hold the Sound - The Thermals - The Body, The Blood, The Machine